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Traill County, North Dakota
A shallow water table limits basements on 94% of Traill County's mapped land, a higher share than 98% of US counties and the highest of 53 North Dakota counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 36%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses here since 2016. 73% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1964.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Traill County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 36.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 94.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 38.7% |
| Mapped soil | 551,900 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Fargo | 16% | n/a |
| Bearden | 13% | n/a |
| Glyndon | 11% | n/a |
| Hegne | 7% | n/a |
| Perella | 3% | n/a |
| Overly | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas ND097 (2026-05-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.7% by land area here, and 39% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 36% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 36% of Traill County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 94% of Traill County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 15.38 in, 7.25 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 22.63 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 58.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $35,611 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 22.63 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 15.38 in (-7.25) |
| 2025 | 20.23 in (-2.40) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 31.46 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 8.39 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HILLSBORO 3 N (5 mi away) | 4.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,664 |
| Median year built | 1964 |
| Built before 1980 | 73% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $200,700 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steele County, ND | 26 mi | 11% | 67% |
| Norman County, MN | 34 mi | 27% | 93% |
| Grand Forks County, ND | 36 mi | 9% | 83% |
| Cass County, ND | 36 mi | 44% | 88% |
| Polk County, MN | 42 mi | 10% | 85% |
| Clay County, MN | 49 mi | 17% | 84% |
| Griggs County, ND | 50 mi | 12% | 65% |
| Barnes County, ND | 55 mi | 18% | 63% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (May 4, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status